Dental Implants

Restore Your Smile with Dental Implants

Tooth loss is a natural part of life that can occur as a result of injury, disease, tooth decay, and the natural aging process. In fact, most adults over the age of 35 are missing at least one tooth. Despite the commonality of missing teeth, living with an incomplete smile can significantly diminish your quality of life, making it difficult to eat your favorite foods and speak normally in addition to changing the way you look.  

Thankfully, modern dentistry offers many solutions to restoring your smile, and the most popular tooth-replacement treatment option is dental implants.

What Is a Dental Implant?

A dental implant is a restorative treatment option designed to permanently replace a missing tooth. A dental implant restoration consists of three basic components:

• Implant Anchor - The implant anchor is a screw-like prosthetic made of biocompatible metal. The anchor is implanted directly into a patient's jawbone where it becomes osseointegrated with the bone to support a replacement tooth with the strength of a natural tooth's root system.

• Implant Abutment - Also made of biocompatible metal, the abutment attaches to the anchor and supports a dental restoration.

• Implant-Supported Restoration - The only visible portion of the dental implant, a dental restoration is made of highly durable tooth-colored porcelain and shaped like the patient's natural tooth.  

Treatment Options With Dental Implants

Dental implants are a versatile restorative treatment and offer several treatment options.  

Implant-Supported Dental Crown

Dental implants can replace missing teeth on a one-for-one basis where one dental implant replaces one tooth. In these cases, a single dental implant would be topped with a single dental crown.

Implant-Supported Dental Bridge

When a patient is missing several teeth in a row, one or two dental implants can be used to support a dental bridge, replacing multiple consecutive missing teeth with a single restoration.  

Implant-Supported Dentures

For patients missing all or most of their teeth, dental implants can be used to support full or partial dentures. Four, six, or eight dental implants usually support implant-supported dentures, which can be permanently fixed (all-on-x) or removable (snap-on/overdenture).  

The Benefits of Restoring Your Smile With Dental Implants

Dental implants are, by far, the most natural feeling, looking, and functioning tooth-replacement treatment option. They provide patients with several benefits and advantages over alternative restorative treatment options.  

• The Closest Thing to Natural Teeth - Implant-supported dental restorations look, feel, and work just like natural teeth.  

• Supports Oral Health and Jawbone Health - Dental implants directly stimulate the jawbone, like natural tooth roots. This helps to support jawbone health by stimulating bone generation which keeps the jawbone strong and preserves the health of neighboring natural teeth.

• Preserves Your Appearance - By preventing bone degeneration from occurring beneath missing teeth, dental implants also preserve your bone structure and facial features.  

• No Dietary Restrictions - Dental implants are incredibly sturdy which means you can confidently eat anything you want at any time.  

• Easy to Care for - Dental implants don't require special care like dentures. Instead, patients can continue brushing and flossing like usual. We might recommend using a water flosser to ensure optimal oral hygiene and gum health.  

• No Slipping - Implant-supported restorations won't slip or move.

• No Soft Tissue Sores - They do not rub on the gums and cause soft tissue sores.  

• No Sticky Oral Adhesives - Patients with implant-supported restorations do not need to use any sticky, messy denture adhesives to hold their restorations in place.  

Permanent Smile Restoration with Dental Implants in Houston, Texas

At Elevate Dentistry, we offer comprehensive restorative solutions designed to restore the form, function, and beauty of our patients' smiles along with their quality of life. If you're missing one, several, most, or all of your teeth, then dental implants might be the right restorative option for you.  We invite you to contact Elevate Dentistry to request a consultation with our restorative dentist in Houston Heights today. We can evaluate your oral health, jawbone, and help you determine whether dental implants are the right treatment option for you.